"Why do you have to bring that up? I don't even think about that anymore," said Armstrong, who may have not have a choice but to remember that loss if the Wizards decide to hold their training camp at the Patriot Center, on the campus of George Mason University in late September.

I didn't get the chance to do this too much last season. (Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Armstrong became the latest addition to the Wizards when he agreed to a one-year deal believed to be worth the veteran minimum of $992,680. The contract won't get signed and the final details won't get fully ironed out until Wednesday, but the 6-foot-11 Armstrong joked that it was actually "a one-year, $20-million deal, or something like that."

The Wizards were in search of a veteran big man, but not one who would necessarily take away minutes from the young players and draft picks that they are trying to develop, such as JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche, Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin. Armstong, a lottery pick in 2006, fits the description after posting career averages of 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in New Orleans, Sacramento and Houston.

Despite his sour college experience at Verizon Center, Armstrong said he always wanted to play for the Wizards. Going back to his pre-draft workouts in 2006, Armstrong said he liked the "vibe" in Washington, where the front office had a favorable opinion of his game. His sister even resides in northern Virginia.

But Armstrong wasn't around when the Wizards picked that year, with the New Orleans Hornets snatching him up with the 12th pick (the Wizards settled on Oleksiy Pecherov). At the time, New Orleans seemed like an ideal destination for the Big East defensive player of the year from Connecticut -- until the Hornets traded for Tyson Chandler later that summer. From that point on, Armstrong was a seldom-used backup, a practice player, who rarely provided much more than spot up duty.

After nearly four years, the Hornets eventually gave up on Armstrong, dealing him to Sacramento for a 2016 second-round draft choice, for the sole purpose of getting under the luxury-tax threshold. Armstrong played only six games with the Kings before he was dealt to Houston as part of the trade that sent Kevin Martin to the Rockets. He was waived, though, before the season ended.

"It was very tough," said Armstrong, who averaged just 2.2 points and 2.5 rebounds. "I felt like I never got too much of a chance to settle in and have enough time to have an impact. I never got a chance. Now that I have another new beginning and a chance to showcase my talents, I'm going to be happy with the results this year."

Armstrong, 25, received interest from Toronto, New York, Milwaukee, Detroit and said that he worked out for the Wizards more than a month ago. "Workout went real well, it was good vibe over there. I think it was a good decision," Armstrong said. "They told me to just run the floor, rebound, play hard, hang in there, be a big body in there. Be the big body that they know I could be. They put a lot of faith in me, and I'm expecting all of it.

Armstrong was in Las Vegas to get a closer look at his new teammate John Wall, whom he compared favorably to his former Hornets teammate, Chris Paul. "They love to get assists. They both like to make everyone on the floor happy. They're not selfish," Armstrong said.

When asked if he would play primarily center or power forward, Armstrong said with a smile, "I might try to run a little point guard, backup John. See what I can do."

Armstrong then laughed at his joke for a while. He then thought of something else that made him crack a smile. "If we have preseason at George Mason? That would be funny," he said.

We all know from last years trade for MM and Foye that Ernie can't think on his own and can only follow orders.

When Ted told him he wanted to build a team like OKC did (they had top 5 picks 3 years in a row), Ernie went out and signed, drafted and traded for a bunch of stiffs to make sure the Wizards end up in the lottery again.

I don't have a problem with that theory...

I have a problem with Ted thinking fans are folish enough to pay to watch a team he knows can't win anything right now.

I have a problem with Ted thinking fans are folish enough to pay to watch a team he knows can't win anything right now.

Posted by: bulletsfan78 | July 12, 2010 11:40 PM | Report abuse

Just read the blogs, some fans are actually foolish!
EG is buying time now that he can't blame his incompetence on Abe anymore. Now, he using "upside", "rebuilding", "versatility".... to extend his job as much as possible. When the team loses 60 games the next few years, he can always ask Ted and the fans to wait for Seraphin to reach his potential...

Steve Buckantz is a great guy. But he just calls a terrible game. And he has the phonetic spelling of Kevin Seraphin written down and STILL butchers it!

At least we don't have to hear DAGGER at the most obvious times (or prematurely) during summer league!

As far as what matters, I like Booker but is he gonna bang or just spot up for threes?

Nick Young just hasn't seemed to improve in 4 years. A vet who can't dominate the summer league is sad and worthless in the regular season. Move on. HE is why they can't let Gilbert go. He has no future.

A blurb from Draft Express about Hilton ArmNBA Scouting Reports: Filling in the Blanks- the Centers
August 20, 2009
"Overview: An athletic forward-center who is a legitimate backup at this point. Not very tall for a center, but compensates with a 7-4 wingspan. Extremely well built, and has added some bulk since his college days. Could stand to continue adding weight. Not a late bloomer physically, but is the definition of the tag from a basketball perspective. Averaged roughly 10 minutes per game in his first three seasons at UConn. Blew up as a senior, primarily on the defensive end. Named Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. Showed enough promise offensive to propel himself into the lottery. Hasn’t been a major impact player in the NBA, and needs to have a similar spike in production to avoid being labeled an underachiever. Turnovers, an aversion to rebounding and his inability to stay out of foul trouble have all been major issues for him thus far. Will need to work hard to earn his minutes behind former UConn teammate Emeka Okafor and faced competition from Ike Diogu. Consistency and focus will be the name of the game for him moving forward. Question marks abound regarding his physical and mental toughness."

What an athlete McGee is, but man he is not a smart player at all. He doesn't even know how or when to set a good pick. And watching him in traffic try to execute a pick and roll from near the 3 point arc is funny.

He just doesn't look like he has a clue and hasn't been coached to do basic big man moves.

I agree Lester Hudson is worth keeping but will get so little playing time it's not even worth thinking about once the season starts. Unless Gilbert is gone.

mcgee, on a good team, would be a 15-20 min per game player. that's not a knock on him, he's just not a true starter right now. booker looks like a good pickup. i could see him playing sf/pf and getting minutes. nick young is destined to be a reserve in this league. john wall looks superb.

So for me it’s all kind of working, maybe because I am coming in with modest expectations, but I like the pieces. So if Flip slips and falls, hits heads and then so on with various mishaps through entirety of Wizards organization….my phone rings, here is what I comfortably go with.

PG – John “Wonder” Wall (let’s get some Oasis going for the white folks in the house), as quick as they come, I don’t know if he is a natural point like Livingston but he knows he needs to control the ball. Move him in with Sam Cassell and give him the keys….he is the future of this team right now.

SG - Kirk Hinrich – Can there be anything more “Ice” to Wall’s “Fire”?....it’s Blades of Glory all over again. Okay seriously, heady veteran player who plays respectable defense and can hit the open jumper…what is not to like about that combo?

SF- Nick Young – I don’t know why I can’t quite give up on this kid…I would almost worry about him if someone didn’t pick him up and take him to practice every day, what would he do? It’s still the occasional 10-15 min flash and then deer in the head lights for a few games. Can Wall bring any excitement to the game for him?

PF – Andray Blatche – Hard to not want to believe this guy is starting to at least understand he wants to stay in the NBA, post Gil and his own drama last year. Fun to watch when he is frisky and again…could be exciting for him to be part of this youth movement.

C – JaVale McGee – Just physically, in appearance he is looking more to me like a young Jabbar…unfortunately no sky-hook. It looks to me like he has gained about 10-15 lbs of muscle over the summer; he is putting in the work and eating right. Still raw but when I consider how few minutes he has actually played I see his development as above average, his body is still growing…. Post game does not need work….he has no post game.

Bench
PG - Livingston (Allow me this one indulgence) – Just a ridiculous change of pace and whole new problem set for opposing teams. I don’t think we can keep him but I would like for the Wiz to seriously try.

SF - Yi Jianlian – No apologies I just like this kids game, he has a beautiful stroke/release, moves like a gazelle for his size….not a power forward. I like him on the wing, yes defensive challenges but I see a lot of potential in this player. Really like the acquisition.

I do not need to see up compete for the Eastern conference… I just want to see us be competitive. Want to see Wall and this group gel, want to watch young, reckless kids leaving it all on the floor. I am excited about this team, this season and the organization.

Ndiaye isn't even under contract yet. If he does get signed, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Wizards ship him to D-League for this year. That's one take-away from the Armstrong signing.

Also, it's hard to imagine that Arenas would actually come off the bench this year. I guess it's possible, but I'd imagine that the Wizards will give him every opportunity to show that he's back -- if only to increase his potential trade value so they can off-load his contract. If they're planning to bench him, they might as well arrange a buy-out now.

Note to Ernie:
Is this really the plan you put together? Letting Mike Miller and Foye walk without anything in return when that was 2009's number 5 pick we traded away?? Furthermore, any idiot could have sold at least ONE decent FA on DC!!! Wall, Arenas, a young roster & Obama!! Ernie you have failed miserably! Damion James should have been picked at 17th!! Not the frenchman who probably won't play this year. I like the Booker and N'Diaye picks and of course Wall. BUT...Damion James would have competed for the starting 3 spot you brainless pathetic excuse for a GM!! How can you build through the draft when you keep F&*^ing up on the picks??
Hilton Armstrong? I believe that makes 4 PFs. Where are the shooters? More importantly, where's your brain? How did you not sign and trade Miller for Beasley? You are under qualified for your position! Retire and do all of us a favor!

A bigger impact will probably come from Tiago Splitter in San Antonio. He's 25 now, clearly the best big man in Europe, and is giving up more $$ to play in the NBA. Haven't seen him play a full game, but the word is he's more Anderson Varejao than Tim Duncan.

"What an athlete McGee is, but man he is not a smart player at all. He doesn't even know how or when to set a good pick. And watching him in traffic try to execute a pick and roll from near the 3 point arc is funny.

He just doesn't look like he has a clue and hasn't been coached to do basic big man moves.

Posted by: DCSkins1 | July 13, 2010 12:41 AM | Report abuse "

Has anyone seen an inkling of an inside game by JaTravel?

All I've seen is catching and dunking on offense, but that's not going to carry you far if the opposing team has size and veteran experience.

I have yet to see him execute a back to the basket post move, and as someone else mentioned here, he can't do a pick and roll either.

When he gets the ball down low, he tries to face up and dribble, but ends up in a TO.

On a team with Wall, Gil, and AB in the lineup, all I want my big man to do on offense is catch and dunk. JM is doing exactly what he should do on O. We'd all be pizzed if he was shooting 15 footers constantly. If he can continue to rebound like he has this summer, he's a slightly better version of Tyson Chandler during Tyson's one good year.

The "Plan" is to finish in the lottery again and build around the core of Wall, Seraphin, Booker, and next year's lottery pick.

Blatche, McGee, and Young(Jury's still out) are young enough and talented to be part of Leonsis's "Wiz Kids" plan. Gil could be be the veteran scorer, but I could also see him being moved before the trade deadline if he plays well enough to show a playoff team he could help them.

Yi and Hilton Armstrong are attempts to see if relatively young guys can live up to the talent they displayed before entering the NBA.

Yi is the guy that could play an interesting role. I could really see him becoming a nice scoring option. A guy with his kind of shooting talent could be an interesting pick and roll partner with Wall. I could also see him getting some minutes at the 5 in a Channing Frye kind of role using his shooting range to pull centers out of the lane.

If the Wiz play him some at the 3, look for Flip to break out the zone to cover up for him.

Leonsis has been very straight forward about how he wants to build a winner. Look for the only other FA moves to be of the same type as we've seen so far this off season. Ted likes to grow his own stars.

We're a year or two from him going into the FA market to find some real help, and that's if he ever does at all...
GM

Upside, upside, upside. How about je ne sais quoi (i.e. intangibles, something-something, "it"). These are words that rarely describe my beloved Wizards. Fortunately, I think John Wall has it all and hopefully can pass some of "it" on. Failure to realize potential is why guys like Hilton Armstrong and Yi were so readily available. Hopefully, Flip can transform these guys.

"would have been happier getting either one of Devin Ebanks, Derrick Caracter or Hassan Whiteside over Trevor Booker"

Well, Caracter is still going strong (3 straight double doubles) but Ebanks had a bad shooting night after two strong performances and Whiteside has looked like a coming force. So we'll see. Of course it's way too early for any of us to judge, not that this ever stopped anyone at Wiz Insider.

Why is everyone giving Ernie a hard time? This is solid signing to fill the PF/C spot for one year. What other Big would you pick up at league minimum with some NBA experience and still young? NONE.......

All the Bigs with "upside" cost about $5mil a year with a 4-5 year contract.

Larry,
Not saying I fully agree with the "plan", but that's what Ted has said he wants to follow...

Seraphin would seem to be the logical star #2, it's just going to be 2-3 yrs. before we know.

Booker isn't "star" material, but he's the type of guy you need on a championship team, find it real interesting that some want to write him off after 2 games of summer league. Actually I'm impressed, pretty sure coaches are too.

I'd agree that Arenas becoming a top flight scorer at the 2 is going to be the quickest way to return to the playoffs. Question is, is it the way to jump from 40 something wins to elite status?

A trade that nets a good return to the Wiz would seem to be a logical solution. A pure salary dump wouldn't.

Blatche and or McGee could bloom to be the third star, but Star # 3 is probably in next year's draft...
GM

nmik - I'm glad someone on here has 20-20 vision. when i looked at McGhee and Young last night i see both have been lifting weights, but I saw ZERO improvements in their games. Can Nick young take a jumper that's not leaning or fading away. He's a 4-year pro and still does not set his feet and square up. can he do anything other than stand and wait for a pass to shoot.

McGhee gets dunks, blocks shots and shows his athletic ability, but he's lost 85% of the time. Has no offensive move other than a dunk.

I do fault coaching and management for the lack of Wizard player development. these guys are multi-million dollar investment not cashiers at 7-11, they need to do more for their players to become better pros. granted for $900K i would work at my game every day. but for the millions these guys get and never have a 1st round pick become close to a player while with the bullets/Wiz, you have to question the coaches and mgmt. It's a shame to see good athletic talent go to waste because they obviously are not developing. that lack of development could be a function of not working at their games or working wrong on their games.

It was Arenas that sold Wiz management on Nick Young. A bit of a bust I'd say. I think McGhee would be okay, if someone would coach him. Armstrong is a stiff. He's good for 5 a game. Five fouls.
I can't believe that management is building a team so they can be assured of being in the lottery again. With that mentality in the front office, Wall is going to bolt on a FA contract, as soon as he gets the chance.

I can't believe that management is building a team so they can be assured of being in the lottery again. With that mentality in the front office, Wall is going to bolt on a FA contract, as soon as he gets the chance.

It's a one year deal at the veterans minimum. This is literally the smallest commitment they could make to him. What is everyone complaining about? It's not like he's taking a spot that would have otherwise gone to Kobe.

Ted Leonsis is gonna learn the hard way that Grunfeld is as dumb as they come,look Hilton Armstrong is poor excuse for a stop gap had he pursued Childress the right way or Travis Outlaw then we might have some hope, as a GM you've got to be a salesman you have got to sell a free agent on the team,the facility,the city and the owner.The Bullets need to wake up and smell what EG's been shovelin for the last four years.

Arenas will not be a feature player on the Wizards if and when the team is ready to contend for an NBA title.

Arenas over the next 1-2 years can rehabilitate himself and then hopefully just as the younger players are improving the team's record, the Wizards can deal him and his remaining contract to another club and then go out and sign a legit #2 star to add to Wall.

That's if the club has not managed to find that frontcourt player in the draft lottery in 2011.

My guess is the Wizards will be back in the lottery and will have the chance to add younger prime talent.

Ted Leonsis is gonna learn the hard way that Grunfeld is as dumb as they come,look Hilton Armstrong is poor excuse for a stop gap had he pursued Childress the right way or Travis Outlaw then we might have some hope, as a GM you've got to be a salesman you have got to sell a free agent on the team,the facility,the city and the owner.The Bullets need to wake up and smell what EG's been shovelin for the last four years.

Posted by: dargregmag

what approach did ernie use when trying to sign childress and outlaw? where did he make his big mistake in pursuing same? did outlaw and/or childress cite some of ernie's mistakes?

To my point, I've seen Booker play 4 years w/ in the ACC @ Clemson; the Wiz expect him to be an undersized 4. Booker to me is the classic example of a tweener. I think he's more Stacey King/Sharone King than the Corliss Willamson/Clarance Weatherspoon/Rodney Rogers clone the Wiz expect him to be. I hope he proves me wrong...

"Ted Leonsis is gonna learn the hard way that Grunfeld is as dumb as they come,look Hilton Armstrong is poor excuse for a stop gap had he pursued Childress the right way or Travis Outlaw then we might have some hope, as a GM you've got to be a salesman you have got to sell a free agent on the team,the facility,the city and the owner.The Bullets need to wake up and smell what EG's been shovelin for the last four years."

Posted by: dargregmag

"what approach did ernie use when trying to sign childress and outlaw? where did he make his big mistake in pursuing same? did outlaw and/or childress cite some of ernie's mistakes?"

Posted by: omgwthrotfl

Omg, don't hold your breath waiting for an answer. Dargregmag is like the kid who throws a stinkbomb on his neighbor's porch, hides behind the bushes and has a good laugh at the neighbor's response.

Amazing how a guy who wasn't in the room positively states that Ernie screwed it up. Yeah, if it weren't for Ernie, we'd have Outlaw AND Childress. LOL!

EG's master plan was to field a more competitive team, but one that was definitely lottery bound. Signings like Armstrong and and the trade for Yi are short-term solutions with no downside. I actually respect that after the bogus moves made the last few years. The Wiz had no real intention of signing Childress to a five-year deal.

Wiz fans need to be prepared that the team is going to be very bad for a couple of years while they rebuild around Wall, McGee, Booker etc. Any vet still on the team will be gone in two years if they can find a taker for Agent Zero. Look at the contacts the Wiz have assumed? All are expiring in one or two years so there will be more flexibility to pursue free agents when the team has a core.

Charlotte end of Raptors deal dead
The part of a complex Raptors deal that would have sent Jose Calderon and Reggie Evans to Charlotte is dead, killed by Bobcats owner Michael Jordan, according to league sources.

Booker will have a 10 year career purely based on his athleticism, toughness, hustle and energy. I'm just not so sure how much of a role he'll have in those years. #23 overall might've been a stretch, but give Ernie credit for doing his best to make the team more tough with the acquisition. He could very easily be an efficient, 10/7 guy off the bench in 2 years. Also, if guys like Darko, Amir Johnson are making $5 and $6-8 million per year respectively, 999k for Hilton Armstrong is a great deal. The least he'll provide us with is 6 fouls per game and more of a defensive presence than McGee until he learns to not bite on pump-fakes.

I've got a question. What is exactly the plan for the Wizards for next season?

I know we are in rebuilding mode, but I also know that we already dumped everyone and have tons of money to get good free agents, so why we don't see any remarkable name being associated with the Wizards?

From the outside looking in, it appears that the teams that get "their guy" early in free agency are overpaying to do so this year. The last thing Grunfeld needs to do is bid against himself just for the sake of getting this guy or that guy. If he overpaid for a Shaun Livingston everybody would be all over him for doing so, given his injury history. Full panic mode is not a good state of mind for a GM to have.

Firuz1 and the rest of you dreamers; I hope i'm wrong but i doubt it, i don't need to throw any stink bomb's EG's been doing a good enough job already(back to back 55+ losing seasons) and a coaching staff that is clueless all i'll say is that the proof will eventually play itself out as the summer evolves into the training camp and then the season; all of you had better hope i'm wrong because it will be another train wreck this season if i'm right.

Can't help but laugh at the morons claiming Gilbert Arenas should/will come off the bench. Yeah, a 25 pt 7 assist guy in his prime coming off the bench. Um, no. You people really should stop commenting on basketball.

Enlighten me, dargregmag. What am I dreaming about? I've haven't said anything about whom the Wiz will sign, how many wins they'll have, etc. They are rebuilding from scratch with the exception of Arenas. My expectations are in line with that.

At least you backed off that idiotic statement about EG not approaching Childress and Outlaw "the right way" or that he didn't try to "sell the team". To know that he didn't approach them the right way, you'd have to know how he approached them. And you don't. Slowly but surely you're making progress and we're all proud of you!

Wow, you Wiz "fans" are the toughest critics of players I have ever seen. I'm glad you're not the GM. I don't think anybody for fit the bill. Arenas was an allstar and he got injured and played a prank that went too far. Now everyone calls him a cancer. When healthy, the team always made the playoffs and he made guys around him better. Heck, Butler made the allstar team with Arenas and Larry Hughes should have. He has never been known as a slacker at practice or in a game and constantly works hard to be the best and is a great community guy. Not close to being a thug as some have called him. McGee, Young and Blatche have NBA talent yet you rip them from top to bottom. What do you want 5 Lebrons or 5 Wades or 5 Kobes? Let's let the team play a season together before you start shipping everyone out of town for "better players". Let's support the guys here, then made educated improvements instead of the proposed any knee-jerk moves.

The Wizards are rebuilding. Which means acquiring talent that can be part of a core talented enough and in their primes to contend for a championship in 3-5 years. There are worse things in the world than not signing a 29 or 31 year old free agents to come in here and help us win a few more games this year, giving us lower draft picks and therefore a lower talent pool in 3-5 years when we'd like to be contending.

This year is all about playing time for young kids, learning how to play the game, and learning to compete. We need another year or two of good draft picks before it is time to start spending our money on 4 and 5 year contracts that take away all of our flexibility.

I didn't love our draft picks (after Wall) but I like the patient approach Ernie is showing in free agency, as well as taking advantage of other teams in their lust for LeBron. We aren't going to win a championship with this core. What will bring us a core that could? The draft. It takes time. Be patient. We've been rebuilding since the middle of last season for goodness sakes these things take time. Luckily Leonsis is the owner, not many of the fools on this board.

I don't see what's so bad about getting a guy at the minimum for one year (especially one with SOME potential left and something to prove). What, you people actually think us competing is a possibility. Are you crazy? Who are these high profile FAs that are going to come here? Seriously now, do any of you really think a talented but unproven rookie is going to convince someone remotely good (i.e. Outlaw) to come here. Especially when everyone this summer seems to be willing to overpay; and good luck to those teams, I've already seen where that path takes you.

You people are way too antsy about getting good. Leonsis said "REBUILD"; that means, maybe, four years later we can build a nucleus to compete. We NEVER had a shot at the top FAs; might as well just stack up with younger players with "upside." If they don't work out then we stink, which would happen anyway, and we get another top five pick to draft another starter.

I understand the frustration with Ernie, but STOP living in fantasy land. WHY would anyone want to willingly come to the rebuilding team with that is, right now, tied up with the Gilbert Arenas for the next four or five years? Oh I know, a second or third tier FA whom we give a four year $24 million dollar contract too...No thanks. Just stink for a while, slowly adding competitive pieces to win.

FYI...we at least have some semblence of a future nucleus- Wall, Young, Thornton, McGee, and Blatche (if his attitude improves) all have the potential to play some kind of role in the future. At the very least Armstrong and Yi can push these guys ("Oh my god, were getting minutes taken away by Yi and Armstrong, were gonna get kicked out of the league if we don't step-up")!

What's worse than a bunch of guys over-analyzing a Summer League game? A bunch of guys on here over-analyzing a Summer League game that they were probably tuning in and out from or just saw the highlights of.

Guys, all I look for out of Summer League is a demonstration of physical gifts and what type of energy guys play with. You can run through a long list of guys like the PG Bayless from Portland who light up Summer League, but don't do much in the regular season.

I see some good things already, like the speed that John Wall shows even when changing directions, the muscle that Javale has added (along w/getting a little taller), and the agressiveness/energy that Morgan/Booker/Hudson play with on both ends.

But, at the end of the day I know "it's just Summer League" so I just sit back and enjoy the alley-oops, steals, and blocked shots.

It's a rebuilding process, similiar to OKC. There is no need to sign or get worried about not siging someone like Childress, a mediocre player(check his NBA stats and impact[subjective]). Nice post garrybrown at 4:53pm. OKC started out sorry, but they are doing much better now, hopefully the Wizards will do the same.

To my point, I've seen Booker play 4 years w/ in the ACC @ Clemson; the Wiz expect him to be an undersized 4. Booker to me is the classic example of a tweener. I think he's more Stacey King/Sharone King than the Corliss Willamson/Clarance Weatherspoon/Rodney Rogers clone the Wiz expect him to be. I hope he proves me wrong...

Posted by: bernard_thompson | July 13, 2010 12:13 PM | Report abuse

Not to blow your mind or anything Bernard, but the NBA did not close down after 1999. I mean, why not compare him to Unseld and Bob Pettitt? I think the more apt comparisons - given that the rule changes between the Williamson/Weatherspoon/Rogers heyday and today favor shorter PF's - would be Milsap, Carl Landry, Craig Smith, Boozer. And those guys range from all-stars to solid 7th men. Plus, if Booker is the athlete/speed demon he is made out to be, he could develop into a competent SF who lacks a 3-pointer, which would be fine for the bench.

If the #23 pick becomes nobody, that's an average result (check the past 10 drafts). See Koufos in '08, Josh Boone in '06, Francisco Garcia in '05, or Monia in '04, or Brandon Armstrong in '01. If he becomes a quality bench player (which I believe Booker will be), then that is a good draft. See T.Outlaw in '03 or W.Chandler in '07 or (for a season) DSteve in '00. If he becomes an all-star, that is a great draft. Arguably, see Prince in '02. But Booker has played 0 games, so now is the time for optimism, not hating.

As someone who watched Hilton Armstrong develop throughout his college career and who has watched his professional career closely, I can let you know that his signing could be a blessing in disguise. From day one he's had amazing potential, but the x factor of his success is 110% mental. When his confidence is flowing, he's unstoppable. He showed that consistently during his senior year at UConn and showed flashes of it before that. In his professional career there have been what seemed like would-be breakout games but as of yet he hasn't been able to string them together. I think with the right coaching staff, especially one with a guy who's good with big men, (like Karl Hobbs who we used to have at UConn) his potential could finally be unlocked and you guys will have yourselves a valuable asset.

Cudos and props to todays posting. Good Stuff. Player by player analysis (hopes) and Trevor (always angry) booker = Rodney Rogers ~ Milsap.

Now, resign Shaun Livingston (3~4/year ~ $12~15mil) and Josh Howard (3 year ~ $15~$18mil) but only if we cannot get Lous Scola out of Houston. Lous Scola plus Shaun makes us a legitimate 42/42 team or better while we are likely a 25~32 game winning team right now.

John Wall makes everyone's job easier. Game two, in a great battle against his former teammate and he get 10 assists and we win by 20. Easy Buckets are the Best buckets.

We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features.

User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.